Pencil-vending machine.



E. W. SINGLETARY.

PENCIL VENDING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN-2. 191a.

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PENCIL VENDING MACHINE.

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APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2,1918. 1,300,888.

Unrrm) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMERSON W. SINGLETARY, OF MORGANZA, LOUISIANA.

- PENCIL-VENDING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERSON W. SINGLE- TARY, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Morganza, in 'the parish of Pointe Coupee and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil-Vendin Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to pencil vending machines, and aims to provide an improved machine for vending pencils or like articles in which an improved coin controlled mechanism is arranged to regulate the delivery of the pencils upon the deposit of a proper coin in a coin chute of the apparatus. I

The invention will be more particularly hereinafter described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference symbols designate like parts throughout the several views, andin which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the improved vending machine with the cover removed.

Fig. 2 is-a vertical sectional View taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at substantially right angles through the machine on the line 33in Fig. 1... a

Fig. 4'is an end elevational view, with parts shown in section and with the locking mechanism housing removed, and showing the parts in one position.

Fig. 5 is a similarview showing the parts in the next following sequence; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a key employed in filling the machine.

Referrin more particularly. to the drawing s, 1 an 2 designate ends .and 3and 4 sides, which are assembled on a base 5, and

together with a top 6 form a receptacle 7 in which a supply of encils or other articles to be vended may kept, and a coin depository 8 separated from the receptacle 7 by a partition 9. The cover 6 is preferably hinged, as indicated at 10, to the receptacle or base, and may be provided with a lock to secure same closed by the proprietor.

on the cover 6 are erected sides 11 and 12, which have locking rods 15 and 16 passing vertically therethrough, and provided at their lower ends with cranks 13 and 14 by which they may be operated, and which are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. '15, 1919.

Application filed January 2, 1918. Serial No. 209,983.

contained in the base of themachine, as shown in Fig. 3, where they will be secure against unauthorized tampering. The upper extremities of said rods 15 and 16 arebent over at right angles as indicated at 17 and 18, and are adapted to engage in openings 17 and 18 made in the members 21 and 22, which, together with the curved metallic iece 23, form the top of the machine. hese. extremities 17 and 18 are shown in Fig. 3 to lock the top of the ma chine in place. In Fig. 2 the sides 11 and 12 are shown as provided with recesses 19 and 20 in which the bent extremities 17 and 18 are received when the top 23 is to be re moved and to which position they are turned by the cranks 13 and 14.

Endless conveyer belts 24 and 25 are fitted to run over pairs of lower drums 26 on a shaft 27 and pairsof upper drums 28 on a shaft 29; which shafts are journaled in the ends 11 and 12. The lower shaft 27 constitutes the drive shaft, and the drums 26 thereon are provided with teeth 30 which receive perforations 31 in the conveyer belts 24 and 25.

carried by a cross bar 37 having down turned ends 38 and 39 secured as by the bolts 40 and 41 to the sides 11 and 12.

Blocks 42 and 43 are placed on the cover 6 alongside ofthe sides 11 and 12; said blocks being formed with semi-cylindrical depressions 44 and 45 in their upper faces in order to provide with front and rear pairs of guide posts 46 and 47, which are erected on said blocks 42 and 43, vertically disposed guideways in which the pins 33 on the belts 24 and 25 will travel, as shown in Fig. 2, while the pencils or other articles held by such pins will be prevented from escaping, except at the slot or gap 48 made in the upper left hand corner of the guideway as shown in Fig. 2, just above the inclined upper ends 49 of the front posts 46.

' guideways 54 also in said side pieces.

48. To aid in ejecting the pencils there are provided displacers in the form of upstanding bars 46, held on the cross bar'37, having forwardly inclined upper ends 47, which extend into the path of the pencils, as indicated in Fig. 2, and which cause the pencils to ride forth into the gap' 48.

A delivery chute 50 is comprised between the front ends of the posts 46 and the glass panel 51 fitted in guideways 52 in the side pieces 11 and 12, as shown in Fig. 1. A similar glass panel 53 is likewise slidable in These glass panels permit the prospective purchaser to inspect the contents of the machine. At the lower end of the pencil delivery chute 50 is an apron 55 having turned up claws 56 in which to catch the pencil and hold it at a place where it may readily be removed by the purchaser.

The two forward posts 46 are held spaced apart by hollow sleeves 57, having threaded ends which engage the inner ends of right and left screw threaded bolts 58 and 59 passing through the posts and side pieces 11 and 12. Similar sleeves 60 are employed to join the oppositely threaded ends of the bolts 61 and 62. The sleeves are advantageously perforated, as indicated at 60, to receive a pin or other instrument, whereby said sleeves may be turned to draw together or release the bolts to which they are attached.

In one of the sides 12 is a coin chute 63 which communicates at-its lower end withthe coin depository 8. As shown in Figs. 4

and 5, the side piece 12 is cut away, as indicated at 64, to receive a lever 65 which projects in the path of the coin 66, and which is pivoted as indicated at 67. A spring 68 normally draws the vertical arm 69 of a latch 70 down so that the latch will be directly in the path ofthe end 71 of a thrust bar 72, which recip'rocates in a bearing 73 and has a button 74 by which the purchaser may push the same inwardly. The vertical arm 69 is slotted, as shown at 75, which guides such arm in its vertical movement about a screw 76. A stop 77 is pivoted at 78 on the side to lift the latch 70 as the stop 77 is removed.

Teeth 83 on the lower edge of the thrust bar 72 are provided to engage a ratchet wheel 84, which is loosely mounted over the shaft 27 A smaller ratchet 85 fits within a recess 86 in the outer face of the larger ratchet 84, and is made fast to the shaft 27. A pawl 87 is carried by the first named ratchet 84 and is yieldingly projected by a spring 88 to engage the teeth of the second named ratchet 85. The ratchet wheel 84 has anannular groove 89 in its rear face, in which lies a spring 90 attached at one end to the ratchet wheel, and at its other end to the side piece 12 for the purpose of returning said ratchet wheel to initial position after each subsequent actuation.

In Fig. 6 is shown a key 91 having a shan 92, which fits in a slot 93 in the end of the shaft 27, whereby the proprietor of the machine may independently of the coin controlled mechanism, revolve said lower shaft in order to drive the conveyer belts for the purpose of refilling the machine. The key 91 is passed through an opening 91' in an inclosing casing 92'; which opening is normally closed by a sliding plate 93 to shut out access to the slot 93. The sliding plate 93' is held elevated by a latch 94 which fits in a horizontally elongated'opening in said plate, and is bent from the upper end of a vertically turning rod 95 having a crank 96, whereby the latch may be engaged and disengaged.

The operation of theinvention is substantially as follows;

The to 6 of the lower part. of the machine is rst lifted, it being held closed by a suitable look; after which the proprietor of the machine has resort to the receptacle 7 for a supply of pencils, or other articles with which to fill the machine. Access is then had to the crank 96' and the same is turned, thus rotating the vertical rod 95 and swinging the latch 94' horizontally out I of the elongated opening in the plate 93, which releases the plate and permits same to drop down and uncover the opening 91 in the inclosing casing 92. The key 91 may be then admitted.

When the top 6 of the lower part of the machine is unlocked and raised it also gives access to the cranks 13 and 14, which are 9 direction, as it is fixed on the shaft 27. The

ratchet 85 is rotated, also in a clockwise rao motion to the larger outer ratchet wheel 84.

This turning of the key will therefore cause the conveyer belts 24 and 25 to be driven,

and as the successive spaces between the pins 33 are presented to the upper end of the machine, the proprietor inserts the pencils until all of such spaces are occupied. The key is now removed and the top 23, slide 93 and lower top 6 replaced, the machine being in condition for operation.

A purchaser desiring to secure one of the pencils will place a nickel or coin of other denomination required in the chute 63. As this coin descends it will strike the endof the lever 65 as shown by the coin 66 in Fig.

4, causing the rocking of such lever 65 on its fulcrum 67, which 1s accompanied by the lifting of the arm 69 and latch 70. The end of the latch 70, which normally extends di rectly in the path of the end 71 of the thrust bar 72, is thereby raised as far as the stop 77 allows which is shown in Fig. 4 to be to a position opposite the beveled edge 82; the stop 77 preventing so great a movement of the lever 65 as would permit the coin 66 to immediately descend into the coin depository 8.

With the parts in the positions indicated in Fig. 4, the thrust bar 72 is now in condition to be forced inwardly to the position in Fig. 5. As said bar 72 is thrust by the button 74, inwardly, the teeth 83 thereon will engage and rotate the ratchet wheel 84. Pawl 87 will simultaneously rotate the smaller ratchet Wheel 85 so that the conveyer belts will be advanced the distance of one of the spaces between the pins 33 in order to bring the next successive pencil opposite the gap 48 where it may be delivered to the chute 50.

At the same time that the thrust bar 7 2 is being moved inward, the beveled edge 82 will ride under the latch 70, lifting the latch and swinging the lever to a position where it will release the coin 66 and allow it to passto the depository 8. lihe stop 77 will of course be simultaneously forced out of the way by the arm 80. When the thrust bar 72 is released the spring 90 will return the outer ratchet 84 to the original position which will also restore the thrust bar 72--t0 its outer position, while the spring 79 will return the stop 77 and the spring 68, the latch and lever 65. The restoring movement of the larger ratchet 84 by the'spring takes place in a counter-clockwise direction, and the yieldable pawl 87 therefore rides over the inclined faces of the inner ratchet teeth 85 without rotating the same. The parts will then be in condition for subsequent actuation.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the, spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

I claim: 1. In a vending machine, the combination of article delivery means, and coin controlled mechanism for said article delivery means including a device attached to said article delivery means, a thrust bar for engaging and driving said device, a latch normally preventing operation of said thrust bar, a coin chute, means in said coin chute connected to said latch for shifting the latter out of locking position, a movable stop adapted to be engaged by said latch when I moved to the unlocking position whereby to limit the movement of said last named means and prevent the immediateirelease. of the coin, yieldable means for normallyholding said stop in the operative position, means carried by said thrust bar for engaging and shifting said stop to an inoperative position 1 out of the-path of 'said latch, andmeans also carried by said thrust bar for engaging and causing a further shifting of said late and connected means Whereb to release the] thrust bar to normally prevent the latters' operation, a coin chute, means in said coin chute associated with said latch whereby the latch may bewithdrawn from the path of said thrust bar, said last-named means adapted to be actuated by a coin in the chute, a stop for limiting the movement of said'latch and last-named means ,to prevent the immediate release of the coin by the latter, an arm carried b said thrust bar and adapted to engage an remove said stop from said latch, a part on said thrust bar adapted to engage said latch and further shift the same whereupon said latch is adapted to shift the means associated therewith whereby to permit the release of the coin from the latter, means whereby the latch may return to initial position Whenthe thrust bar is restored, and means whereby the stop may also return to initial position on the return of said latch and arm, substantially as described.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of article delivery means, and coin-controlled mechanism for said article delivery means ion delivery means, a reciprocating thrust bar arranged to operate said device, a latch normally lying in the path and preventing the operation of said thrust bar, a lever connected tosaid latch, a coin' chute adapted to direct a coin into contact with said lever, the coin adapted to rock the lever and lift the latch out of the path of said thrust bar, yieldable means for normally holding said latch in the path of said thrust bar, a pivoted stop engaged by said latch when lifted, said stop preventing so great a movement of the latch and connected lever as to immediate]. Y release the coin, yieldable means for holding said stop in an initial position where it may be engaged by said latch, an arm on said thrust bar adapted to strike and remove said stop out of the path of said latch,

a part on said thrust bar adapted to engage said latch whereby to further shift the latter and further shift said lever to release the coin, and means for restoring said thrust bar to initial position, substantially as described.

4. In a vending machine, the combination of article delivery means, and coin-controlled mechanism, said mechanism including a device for operating said means, a thrust bar adapted to actuate said device, a coin chute,

a coin depository in communication with said chute, a lever having one end pro ect1ng into said chute and arranged to be rocked'by a coin when placed in the chute, a latch, said latch having a slotted arm, a pinpassing through the slot in said arm on which said latch may rock with the lever, the latch normally lying in the path and preventing the operation of said thrust bar, means for yieldingly holding the latch in the pathof said thrust bar, said slotted arm of the latch being connected to said lever, a movable stop arranged to limit the movement of the latch and connected lever whereby to prevent the escape of the coin, and means for returning the thrust bar to original position, substantially as described.

5. In a vending machine, the combination of article delivery means, and coin controlled mechanism forsaid article delivery means including a small ratchet wheel fixed to said article delivery means, a larger ratchet wheel turning loosely with respect to said article delivery means, a yieldable pawl carried by said larger ratchet wheel and arranged to engage with the teeth of the small ratchet wheel, spring meansarranged to return said larger ratchet Wheel to initial position after each actuation without affectlng the smaller ratchet wheel, a thrust bar having teeth arranged to engage with said larger ratchet wheel and to operate the latter, a latch normally lying in the path of said thrust bar, a coin chute, a lever having an end projecting into said coin chute, said lever being connected to said latch and adapted to remove the latter from the path of said thrust bar when a coin is present in the chute, a stop normally in the path of said latch, means carried by said thrust bar for removing the stop from the path of said latch, and means also carried bytially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix m si nature.

EMERSON W. SINGL T RY. 

